You are not alone...

Your toddler whacks you in the face.
You are not alone.

Your 4 year old curses loudly.
You are not alone.

Your child comes home from a trip to the supermarket with something that you didn't buy for them.
You are not alone.

Your toddler throws a head turning tantrum over an ice cream cone.
You are not alone.

Your child shows you up by not performing after you've bragged about something new they've learnt.
You are not alone.

Your little person says something that is so embarrassing you wish the ground would open up and swallow you.
You are not alone.

Your toddler eats nothing but toast and butter for a week, and you WHOOP when they decide to eat sugar cereal for breakfast.
You are not alone.

You leave the house with vomit down your back or weetbix in your hair.
You are not alone.

Your child escapes the house, out of a window, naked, and runs down the street.
You are not alone.

Your toddler refuses to get dressed so you leave the house with them in PJ's and gumboots.
You are not alone.

Your child who's been using the toilet for a year decides to pee in his pants in the middle of grocery shopping.
You are not alone.

You spend an hour cleaning the house for your toddler tornado to mess it up in 2 minutes.
You are not alone.

Your baby poops in their nappy just as you're pulling out the driveway to take them to day care.
You are not alone.

Your child announces that they weren't given breakfast (lies!) because someone is offering food.
You are not alone.

You leave 4 sleeping children in the car (taking all safety measures) to duck in and pay for petrol.
You are not alone.

Your child comes to you with an important story and you nod and "ahuh" while jotting something down, the words travel in one ear and out the other.
You are not alone.

You loose your toddler in a crowded supermarket, a park, a show, anywhere.
You are not alone.

Your toddler whacks some other child with a hammer toy and refuses to say sorry.
You are not alone.

You decide that you can't hack the 1 hourly feeding, so give your child a bottle of formula and lie about it.
You are not alone.

Your child crosses their arms and declares "I hate you!".
You are not alone.

You are not alone.
It doesn't make you a bad parent.
It doesn't make you lazy.
It doesn't make them brats.
It makes you human.
It makes your toddler/child a toddler/child.

Before you shake your head and think poorly of something you've seen. Stop.
Chances are a parent who's child is acting up is a parent who needs a smile, and a kind word. Chances are the toddler or child who is acting up needs support, encouragement and love to guide them to behaving in a different manner.

Don't judge. Love. Don't shake your head. Support. Don't turn your back. Encourage.

It really does take a village.